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Cervelli stayed positive while spending year in Minors

Cervelli stayed positive while spending year in Minors

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Francisco Cervelli

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MLB.com |

NEW YORK -- Francisco Cervelli said that his dash around the basepaths in Tuesday's victory "makes my season," as the Yankees' backup catcher played a large role in helping the club maintain a one-game advantage in the American League East.

Cervelli worked a tough full-count walk from Boston's Andrew Miller in the 12th inning of New York's 4-3 win on Tuesday, and he then raced around the bases and tumbled into home plate with the decisive run as Raul Ibanez connected for the game-winning hit.

"It's amazing. It's amazing," Cervelli said. "But you know what? Things happen for a reason. You appreciate life a little more, you take care of your life a little more, and I know something good's going to happen in the future. My family always says, 'If you work hard, positive things are going to be around you.'"

Cervelli entered Spring Training as the Yankees' primary backup catcher, but he was blindsided before Opening Day by a trade with the Giants for Chris Stewart, who bumped Cervelli to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

General manager Brian Cashman said that if there had been an injury to starting catcher Russell Martin, Cervelli -- and not Stewart -- would have stepped in as the starting catcher. But that never happened, and Cervelli spent a tough summer playing for the nomadic Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team, batting .246 in 99 games.

"I feel like those things happened like five years ago," Cervelli said. "We've got to move on, keep moving forward, because I'm only 26 years old, and no one's going to stop my dream. My dream is to be a big league player for the next 10, 12 [years] -- whatever God wants. And no one's going to stop me."